


Prince and Knight

by WaterHorseyBlues



Category: Boyfriend (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Castles, M/M, Princes & Princesses, more like prince & knight, prince!donghyun and knight!minwoo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-10-21 10:43:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10683657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaterHorseyBlues/pseuds/WaterHorseyBlues
Summary: Inspired by Marie Antoinette's garden, Donghyun is the youngest prince who has a whole make-believe world filled with actors to keep him entertained while his family rule the country. Minwoo is hired to play as his knight as they rescue the princess. Unexpectedly, Donghyun decides he would rather Minwoo rescue him instead, and progressively makes his poor knight's job a little more annoying as he grows more fond of him.





	1. Chapter 1

The armour didn't quite fit him, but costumes were like that. Never quite right. There was space around his chest and shoulders for muscles he didn't have and he couldn't tell if the arms were designed to make himself look more buff than he was or if he was just too thin for them. Either way, the job opportunity had been too good to pass up and if a badly fitted costume was going to be his only complaint then this would be the best acting role he had ever landed.

After all, how many people got chosen to work in the royal castle?

The job itself sounded a little silly, but it was long-term and the benefits were more than anyone could ask for: a home on the royal grounds, food provided, bills paid, basic fabric washing service and a comfortable wage. Not to mention royal guards were he to leave the grounds to go to the local markets. It was a pretty cosy deal and he wasn't going to pass it up.

He looked at himself in the mirror of his new home. It was simple, but better than his old home. The bed wasn't fancy but it was sturdy and the materials high quality. The floor was polished with woven rugs laid out beneath the furniture. The large wardrobe was filled with comfortable, expensive-looking clothes that had strangely fantastical designs on them and unusual colours.

“No Minwoo,” He said to his reflection, “You are now an official Knight of the Palace Guard.”

He paused to take his his over-decorated armour that was cleanly polished and evidently had never seen a day of war.

“Or at least you pretend to be.”

 

The grounds were huge. Bigger than he could comprehend. Like it's own country spreading far out in intricate flower gardens and mazes and forests and fields and lakes. When he'd first been told he'd be living in a village on the grounds he thought he would be in the shadow of the palace, but in reality it was a fifteen minute ride away by horse. Somehow he hadn't expected there to be literal houses and shops and a mill and a stables to be all located within the grounds, along with some local farmland.

The buildings all had the same strange fantasy-like style to them, with colourful exteriors and bumpy bricks that matched the cobblestone streets. The whole village looked like doll houses. Some even had little pots of plants outside the windows or bushes of some climbing plant growing up the walls around the door.

He walked slowly through the streets. A few people waved and he waved back, smiling nervously. Everyone was up and going about their jobs, all dressed like characters from a book. Some people even had jewellery adorned in their hair or embroidery too detailed for labour work.

It was a strange place. Everyone costumed up pretending to do jobs for the youngest prince to prance around in his own imaginary kingdom. Soe of them doing jobs that didn't even exist.

Like Minwoo. Who's job was to aid the prince in rescuing the princess.

Who was an actress. Pretending to be a princess.

It was a strange place.

 

Minwoo's assigned horse was large and glossy brown with a pale fluffy mane and tail. It trotted comfortably with him on it's back as though it barely noticed him sat there. He gripped the reigns desperately, worried he'd fall off at any point. He wasn't used to anything other than the old work horses at a walk.

They stopped in a large open field surrounded by trees, the breeze pleasant and the fragrant smell of flowers floated past. He closed his eyes for a moment, appreciating the silence. After a moment he heard the sound of galloping hooves and frowned, then opened his eyes again.

A shining golden horse bursts through the trees, main blowing with the wind and hoover shimmering with polish. It's saddle was adorned with gold edges, intricate patterns pressed into the leather and embroidery. The man atop it was dressed in decorated, shining armour encrusted with jewels with a large cape billowing out behind him. He had the fair skin of someone who didn't spend much time outside and his hair had been parted neatly and scraped back from his handsome face.

Minwoo felt his heart sink as he looked at the prince. He'd be entertaining the most self-indulgent man-child for his entire career.

“The new knight!” The young prince – who, Minwoo realised, was actually older than him – exclaimed cheerfully as the horse pranced over. “Let's have a look at you!”

Minwoo held still as the prince walked around him. He knew there were several princes, and this was the youngest who would never inherit the throne nor rule any land. He tried to remember his name.

“You seem perfectly up to the task! What is your name, Knight?”

“My name is No Minwoo, Your Highness.”

“You mean, _Sir_ No Minwoo.”

“Um. Yes. My apologies, Your Highness. My name is Sir No Minwoo.”

“Sir Minwoo will do.” The prince flashed a grin. “And as you know, I am His Royal Highness Prince Donghyun the First. But you may call me Prince Donghyun.”

He felt immediate relief for the memo. “An honour, Your Highness.”

“Prince Donghyun.”

“An honour, Prince Donghyun.” He did not feel much relief to the prince's attitude.

“Excellent. I hope you last some time, Sir Minwoo. My last night perished violently.”

Minwoo paled.

Prince Donghyun laughed. “I jest, I jest. He fell off his horse and could no longer ride.”

This didn't feel much better, in Minwoo's opinion.

“Now, come along. We will ride to rescue the princess!” Prince Donghyun needlessly drew the jewel encrusted sword from the sheath on his side and thrust it into the air, the blade catching the light and nearly blinding his new knight in the process. “Onward!”

Before Minwoo could even respond, the prince had charged off across the field. He sighed heavily, already filled with regret, and nervously urged his horse to follow. It seemed to understand the general plan and comfortably galloped after the prince, ignoring its rider's fearful hold.

 

They arrived in front of a comically small castle, barely larger than Minwoo's own house but with a tall tower several floors high. At the foot of it were several helmeted knights in black armour with exaggeratedly villainous looking crests on their chests and large spears crossed over the doors of the 'castle'. At the top Minwoo could see a very bored looking princess with her hair decorated with shiny treads and a delicate tiara. She gave him a small smile and he felt some dread inside him.

“Stand aside, evil fiends! Release the princess immediately!” Prince Donghyun called with the enthusiasm and vigour of someone who had never been in a fight before.

“To rescue the princess, you must first defeat us!” The knights called in response, with the force and monotone of people who had said the same lines for several years.

“Then prepare for battle!” The prince retaliated with the same raised energy.

Minwoo was incredibly thankful we'd already been walked through this before, and dismounted at the same time as the prince, drawing his sword at his hip. The blade shone in the light and he could see it's deliberately dulled edges. It was less dangerous than the wooden swords he'd used in stage plays. He felt very slightly offended.

The knights half ran towards them, swords raised, and he lifted his own. He and the prince took one knight each. There was a very obvious routine to the fight, and he was able to easily follow the actions of his opponent. He glanced over for a moment and spotted the prince in the middle of a much more dramatic sword fight. The knight went down onto his knees in an over-the-top manner, and eventually 'put out of his misery' as the prince jammed his sword into the obviously very padded stomach of the knight. He turned back to his own knight and made a less-dramatic 'killing' poke to the ribs. The knight obediently fell to the floor in a dead-ish manner.

He was going to have to catch them off-hours sometime and talk about choreographing the fights if he was going to do this every few days for several years. He wouldn't be shocked if he found out the previous knight had thrown himself off the horse out of sheer boredom.

By now the prince had moved on and, in one dramatic movement, kicked the doors open. They swung apart with ease, showing a ridiculously dark interior that Minwoo realised had actually been painted black and dark grey for dramatic effect. He followed the prince indoors, giving the worryingly realistic skeletons that hung from definitely real chains and braces an uncertain look.

Prince Donghyun set to the stairs, leaping up them like he was weightless. Minwoo kept up easily, glad to have spent so much time up and down ladders at theatres. They twisted around and around the tower, until they finally reached the top and met a round wooden door.

“Knock it open, Sir Minwoo!” the prince ordered, excited.

“Yes, Your Highness!” he said quickly and immediately pushed his shoulder to the door. It gave way beneath him with some ease and he half stumbled into the room.

Prince Donghyun stepped into the room before him, hands on his hips.

The princess smiled vaguely and stood from her seat by the window, setting down a book she had been reading on the windowsill. She was a pretty woman with sunkissed skin and captivating eyes and the features of someone powerful enough to rescue herself if she really wanted to. But she was being paid a hefty sum of money to not want to.

“You've finally arrived!” She said in a well-rehearsed voice that would have been convincing had Minwoo not spent years acting with women reciting the same lines.

“Come with me, Princess! We will ride away from this dark place and back to safety!” He said, taking the princess' hand and pulling her to him.

She seemed endlessly amused.

Minwoo stood aside as the two paraded from the room and down the stairs. He took a moment to glance around the room, interested by the shelves of books and puzzle-toys that had collected in there to keep her occupied until the rescue party arrived, then followed them down.

When they stepped outside the knights were still strewn on the floor, probably for some sense of realism. Minwoo had to applaud their dedication.

Prince Donghyun was giving some speech about the great battle that had gone down and the life he had risked to have the princess as Minwoo looked around, taking in the surroundings while he had time. He glanced up to the windowsill, thinking about the room inside, and spotted the book hanging over the edge of the sill.

It tilted slowly, then fell.

“Your Highness!” Minwoo said, alarmed, when he realised where it was going to fall. “Your Highness, move!” He instinctively took a step forward, pushing the prince aside.

The book hit his shoulder and handed in his outstretched hand.

“That was close,” he breathed. Then glanced up and paled when he saw the prince's shocked expression. “I'm sorry!” He stepped back quickly, holding the book in front of him like a shield.

“You pushed me,” the prince began, shocked.

“Oh, but he saved you!” The princess quickly cut in, reading the tension of the situation. “How noble of him, to protect his prince! You have such a loyal Knight.”

The prince only nodded silently, then turned away and guided the princess onto the saddle of his horse.

The princess looked back at Minwoo with a concerned expression, but gestured that he should saddle-up too.

They rode in silence.

 

They reached the village, the princes side-saddled behind the prince, and the villagers swarmed out of their homes to applaud the rescue and throw confetti and dance in the streets. It was exceptionally bizarre.

He stabled his horse and was met by the stableboy who suggested he take part in the celebrations for a while. He nodded, and gave the steed a fond pat. So far it seemed to be the only thing that understood him. Or at least, wasn't acting strange. Which was fairly easy to do, he reasoned.

He gave the creature one last look, wondering if it would be the last time he ever saw it, before heading out. He would spend as much of the day out of the Prince's sight as he could until it all passed over and he was inevitably kicked out of the castle.

Or executed.

He prayed for the former.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Minwoo rode out into the sunny afternoon of his second day, fully armoured and only a little bit more used to it's strangely unfitted shape. He slowly approached the clearing where he had met the prince before, once again stunned by the beautiful landscape of the royal grounds. There were tiny wild flowers growing in the grass that he had never seen before. Among the trees he thought he could make out a doe settled in the shade, chewing peacefully on some leaves.

In the quiet he could make out the sound of hooves and quickly adjusted himself to sit straight, taking a deep breath. However the man and steed that approached from the direction of the palace was most definitely not the prince, but clearly much older and more serious. The large horse drew closer and Minwoo swallowed.

“Sir Minwoo?”

He nodded quickly. “Yes, that's me.” He paused nervously. “Where is the prince?”

“That's why I'm here,” the older man said, obviously unimpressed with the news he had to deliver, “He's waiting at the castle for you. There's been a change of plans.” Without another word, the older man turned his steed around and trotted off, leaving Minwoo baffled and alone.

He looked around, as though expecting a sign to pop up and explain what was happening. From the trees the doe stared back at him, serene and amused by his confusion. Or at least, that's what he imagined.

He sighed and looked down at his horse and gave its neck a gentle pat before steering it off towards the small castle, hoping he remembered the way well enough. The grounds seemed to be clearly laid out and divided, but there was still a chance he could accidentally wander into a maze or something else equally strange.

With some luck, either through his own memory or the horse's he wasn't sure, he was soon trotting towards the little castle. Outside waited the ridiculously armoured knights, stationed at the castle door as normal. He searched between them, hoping to spot the prince among them or near by. One of the knights seemed to notice his confusion, and subtly pointed up the tower.

Minwoo looked up into the princess tower, taking his helmet off to see better, and nearly fell off his horse in surprise. Instead of the princess leaning out the window in her beautiful garments and jewels, Prince Donghyun was gazing down at him with a broad smile.

“My knight, you have finally come to rescue me!” The prince called down from the window, waving with delight.

He stared up at him, alarmed. “Your Highness? What are you doing up there?”

“I've been kidnapped, and you're going to rescue me!” Prince Donghyun called back, sounding very excited for a faux prisoner.

He dropped his gaze to the knights, who took up their fighting stances. It didn't seem like he had any other choice. He shifted on his saddle and took a breath.

“Release the prince!” He called, trying his best to sound convincing.

“To rescue the prince, you must first defeat us!” A few of the knights shouted in response, apparently having not had the time to rehearse this change of dialogue.

“Then prepare to fight!” He called back, feeling incredibly silly to repeat the lines the prince had used before.

He shook off the feeling with a swift dismount and drew his sword. With the change of battle dynamic the knights seemed a little confused, but it was quickly remedied by them more or less lunging at him one at a time. It was a little awkward at first, but soon enough they fell into an easy strike/counter pattern.

With a few carefully trained motions and a little bit of navigation he managed to 'defeat' all the knights. Prince Donghyun applauded loudly from above. He shook his head and gave the 'dead' knights an apologetic look before heading into the tower.

He stepped into the dark room and ignored the skeletons staring at him as he headed up the stairs. Before him loomed the wooden door, beyond which the prince was waiting. He was almost expecting some sort of trap door to open.

When nothing happened he awkwardly reached out a hand and pushed the door open, not really wanting to shove it dramatically as he had the day before. As he entered the room he braced himself for a prank or trick, but instead was greeted with the prince's beaming expression.

“You've come to save me!” He cried brightly, striding towards him with open arms.

“Yes, of course..” he began, but was quickly but off by the prince grabbing his hand.

“Take me to safety, oh brave knight!”

“Um,” He blinked “Right! Yes, come this way, your highness.” He stepped back towards the open door, viciously conscious of the way the prince held tight to his arm,and wondered if there was a polite non-treasonous way of making him let go.

To his dismay, the prince clung to his arm all the way down the stairs and out of the castle. As they stepped out he spotted a few knights raise their heads or carefully shift their positions to watch them. He felt very hot under the amour.

To his mortification, the prince hopped up side-saddle on the horse – who seemed to be giving Minwoo and expression of great offence. He repressed a deep groan and mounted the horse as well. The prince wrapped his arms around Minwoo's waist, making the whole situation all the more mortifying.

“Onwards, knight,” Prince Donghyun chimed happily, leaning against Minwoo's back.

He bit his tongue and encouraged the horse to ride back to the village, dreading the responses of the villagers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops sorry for no updates for ages i forgot id posted this fic lmao


	3. Chapter 3

The cheering villagers made the whole ordeal all the more embarrassing, as they clearly had only just learned about the change of plans and could barely disguise their amusement. Prince Donghyun soaked in the cheers with blowing kisses and excited waving, while Minwoo kept his head down and refused to make eye contact.

The following party had been worse. The prince had held onto his arm the whole night and made him try every food available. This may have been fun in any other situation, but being stared at by the villagers and seeing people whisper behind their hand as the prince held out juicy berries for him to eat.

For a second day on the job he was feeling dangerously overwhelmed and out of his depth. How was he supposed to behave around the actual real prince without risking beheading? Or more likely being exiled. He wasn't sure if beheading was still a thing they did.

When the sun began to lower in the sky the prince put his hands on Minwoo's shoulder and smiled fondly at him. “Tomorrow you will do that again, but put a little more spirit into it, won't you? I'd like to be convinced!”

Minwoo nodded back, a little thrown off by this. “Of course, your highness.”

“Prince Donghyun, please.”

“Of course, Prince Donghyun.”

The prince gave him a heart pat on the shoulder before heading back to the palace. Minwoo could just make out the shadows of royal guards silently following him from a distance. He briefly wondered how dangerous it must be to be one of the monarchy.

His thoughts were interrupted by someone approaching and pushing a drink into his hands. He turned, a little startled, and saw the princess -or rather, the actress who had played the princess- stood beside him smiling.

“Oh, hi!” He smiled awkwardly at her, unsure how to handle the situation. “Um, Princess..?”

“Only when the prince is around. Yoon Bora.” She held out a hand to shake.

He took the hand and nodded. “No Minwoo. I guess you were surprised today...”

“Surprised? I was shocked! I've been the princess every day for five years!”

He swallowed. “Oh.”

“It was nice to have a break,” she said, seeming to take a little pity on him, “but now I don't know what's happening. I don't want to be made redundant.”

“I'm sure they won't do that. You've been here so long, they'll definitely keep you around.”

“They _should_ keep me around. But with the prince being so unpredictable suddenly I'm wondering if they will...”

“I'm sure they will.” He gave her an encouraging smile.

She smiled back. “You're cute. I'm not surprised the prince changed his routine.”

Minwoo blinked. “Huh?”

“Watch out, he has a tendency to get carried away when he's excited.”

“Yeah... I can see that.”

“You shouldn't keep to yourself. Make friends, otherwise you'll have no one to turn to when he starts to get really over the top.”

“Is that likely to be soon?”

She smirked at him.

He gulped.

“Drink and enjoy yourself,” she advised him before turning away and heading towards some of the female villager-actors who were chatting happily.

He sighed and looked down at his drink, then glanced around awkwardly. He didn't know where to begin when it came to making friends here. Did it matter the role of the actor or was everyone pretty much the same when the prince was gone? The only person he had really wanted to have any conversation with had just walked away.

Just as he was trying to work out who to talk to, someone tapped his shoulder gently. He turned to face a taller man with a broad build and a strong face, smiling at him in a way that made him feel like he'd encountered a long-forgotten friend.

“Hi, good work today. You did well, since the situation as strange.”

He blinked. “Oh! Thanks a lot. I improvised...”

“We were impressed. It's a good thing you're new and remembered all the steps clearly.”

He nodded a little, slightly lost in conversation now.

“Oh! Sorry, I'm not in costume,” the man said, a little embarrassed, before holding a hand out. “I'm one of the Enemy Knights. I'm Kim Hyunseong”

“Ah!” He grinned and shook his hand. “It's good to see your face. I'm No Minwoo.”

“Yeah, ' _Sir Minwoo_ ',” Hyunseong chuckled, repeating the prince's tone of voice.

He sighed a little. “Yeah.”

The taller man gave him a sympathetic look. “How about we plan some fights or something?It will be difficult to work with one person to battle. Let's work something out for tomorrow.”

He felt relieved to have found someone he could speak to properly, even if it was just about work. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

“Come sit over here with some of my friends,” Hyunseong said, encouraging Minwoo over to a large table with several people sat.

As it turned out there were a lot of roles he wasn't aware of among Hyunseong's friends. Lee Jeongmin was a bard that spun tales of the prince's great deeds or the made-up horrors that haunted the castle grounds for the prince's entertainment, and made silly songs about the other actors for everyone else's amusement. As soon as Hyunseong had sat, Jeongmin had leaned against him like a pillow. More strange, though, were the twins Jo Kwangmin and Jo Younngmin, who played the role of Mysterious Advisers and would speak in riddles and finish each others sentences whenever the prince wanted them to, either before a raid on the make-believe castle or just to follow him around during the day when he was feeling less excitable. The twins seemed so unlike each other and so uninterested in each other, Minwoo was having a hard time believing it.

He had to admit, though, the company made him feel a lot more secure about his job.

 


	4. Chapter 4

It took a few days for Minwoo to get used to making the lone ride to the castle, 'fighting' the knights and rushing up the stairs to ride the prince back to the village. It was a lot easier if he pretended the prince was also and actor, and not one of the most powerful people in the kingdom. Once he knew what he was doing, he was actually able to have a little bit of fun, especially when he and the knights practised sequences and moves to make the fight more fluid.

Barely a week after he had started he was jogging up the stairs of the castle and wishing his armour fitted a little better. He pushed the door open, wishing it was lighter, and stepped into the room.

Prince Donghyun had draped himself over a chaise lounge in the room in a dramatic fashion, arms draping off the side. He gazed at Minwoo and waved a hand, saying, “Sir Minwoo, you must carry me from the castle. I am simply too weak from my imprisonment.”

Minwoo stopped in his tracks and stared at him. “Pardon me?”

“Carry me,” he ordered, arms reaching out.

He didn't have much of an option. Cautiously he stepped over to the prince, unsure how to go about it. The prince was taller than him and more filled out, he wasn't sure if he was quite strong enough to carry him in a reasonable manner. Was he even allowed to handle the prince in this way?

Prince Donghyun didn't give him much of a choice, putting his arms around his shoulders as an indication of hos he wanted to be held. Minwoo groaned internally and put his arms beneath the older, trying to lift him bridal style. Be it through fear of legal punishment for dropping a monarch or years of carrying stage sets around, he managed to hold the prince in his arms.

The stairs were a definite threat. He awkwardly made his way down, terrified of losing his balance. The prince seemed to regret his decision and clung to him, looking down with wide eyes. It took nearly half an hour for them to safely make it down to the bottom, at which time Minwoo spotted a knight glancing through the open doors then skittering away quickly.

He awkwardly carried the prince towards his horse, which seemed to be giving him a very sympathetic look. Or maybe it was laughing. He wasn't sure how horses expressed themselves.

He lowered the prince to the ground, then helped him onto the horse before mounting it himself. He could see the knights pretending not to look at them. This couldn't be more embarrassing.

 

The prince managed to make it more embarrassing. Apparently he had decided that being carried had been too great a risk, and instead insisted Minwoo guide him downstairs by holding his hand and leading him to the doors with their hands raised daintily.

Then he pretended to have been poisoned, and had Minwoo feed him an antidote.

Then he had Minwoo help him put on a coat to go outside in.

Then he sat in front of Minwoo on the horse so he was forced to put an arm either side of him during the ride back to the village.

Then, just as Minwoo was starting to consider faking severe illness, the prince had set up a small tea party inside the castle. A little table with two delicate chairs either side of it was in the middle of the room, small sandwiches and cakes and treats piled onto a stand. Two cups of tea had been poured and Minwoo wondered if the prince had done it himself or if a servant had set this all up and rushed away just before he had arrived.

“I ran out of ideas, and I was hungry. Have food with me.”

He nodded and sat down, feeling very unclean in the pretty chair. “This is really nice,” he said, smiling.

The price smiled back. “Enjoy it, I'm trying to think of some more fun things to do.”

His smile stiffened. He bit into a sandwich and hoped the fluffy bread and sweet filling would console him for long enough and keep him going.

Despite the ominous looming threat of more strange activity from the prince, he managed to have a fairly enjoyable afternoon. They chatted lightly about the sort of hobbies they had, the life Prince Donghyun lived at the palace, and the various people who had worked in the village during his life. Minwoo was surprised to find that in a calmer situation, the prince seemed quite knowledgeable and kind, and cared a lot for the people who he spent his days with.

He was also glad to learn that Bora had been moved to the palace, now playing boardgames with the prince in the evening in one of the larger entertainment rooms. He supposed she was living in real luxury now, rather than the single room she'd been cooped up in most days.

The prince decided not to go back to the village with him that day, instead insisting Minwoo took the leftover food back with him. They parted with polite waves and, feeling more hopeful, the actor knight rode home, munching on a cake slice.

 


	5. Chapter 5

A knock on his door roused Minwoo from his sleep. It was still dark outside and the faintest creep of sunlight was starting to poke through the undergrowth. Not even the birds had woken to start singing.

It was the fourth time that week he'd been woken so early.

“The prince is waiting for you,” Youngmin told him in a weary tone. He was dressed in flowing silk robes that fell to the floor, intricate jewellery decorating his neck and arms, eyes painted with a smoky powder. He looked exhausted, and behind him Kwangmin was leaning against his back, eyes shut and evidently half asleep.   
Minwoo wouldn't help feeling a pang of sympathy for the twins. It couldn't be easy working in the mornings when the prince's morning would randomly start before the sun had even risen. “Go get some sleep you two,” he told them before getting himself ready.

He rode out, squinting in the hazy morning light. He could only imagine how hard it was to travel here for the knights. He wondered if Hyunseong was doing okay. It occurred to him that the only person in his strange group of friends unaffected by this change was Jeongmin, and he quietly envied the bard.

When he arrived the knights were stood unsteadily about, some of them leaning against each other for support. They were lucky the prince wasn't leaning out of his window to watch. He dismounted and approached the knights, who seemed relieved to be getting it over with. It was more of a general sword waving than a fight, and they went down without any fuss, many of them making themselves comfortable on the floor. He wondered if they were allowed to file complaints.

He scaled the staircase and pushed the door open, wishing it would be easy to move for once, and found the prince comfortably settled on the chaise lounge with a blanket. He stood in the doorway silently and wondered what the punishment for voicing his complaints would be.

The prince opened his eyes and grinned at him, then slowly sat up and stretched. “My Knight! You're here! I had a nap while I was waiting, I haven't been sleeping well at all.”

“Is... this the reason for the early starts?” Minwoo asked, trying to keep his tone light.

“Of course! I get so bored when I'm awake at night...”

“I see.” He held back a sigh.

The prince stood, blanket wrapped around his shoulders and gave Minwoo a tired smile. “Carry me down the stairs, I'm tired.”

He was fortunate he'd got used to carrying the prince now. Prince Donghyun would climb onto his back and he'd hold onto his legs as he headed down the steps slowly. This time he had to make sure he didn't step on the trailing blanket as well. When they safely made it to the bottom it was no issue taking him past the guards who all seemed to have fallen asleep now, and to the horse.

As they began to ride off, the prince leaned against Minwoo's back and was quiet as they left the 'castle' grounds. After a moment he spoke.

“Take me back to the palace.”

Minwoo glanced back. “Your Highness?”

“You're supposed to call me Prince Donghyun,” the prince replied, stifling a yawn. “I'm tired. I want to sleep.”

Minwoo glanced over at the early morning sun, watching the hazy rays breaking over the fields and through the trees like golden ribbons. “Now?”

“Hm.” The prince nodded.

He closed his eyes for a moment, holding back the retort, before turning the horse around and riding to the palace. He didn't know the exact route, but by a lot of guess work and the horse's own natural instincts of direction he soon managed to get close enough to see the massive, ornate towers of the Royal Palace. He stopped the horse at the gates to the main gardens. “We're here Prince Donghyun.”

The prince raised his head a little. “No, take me _to the Palace._ ”

“Prince Dongyun... I don't think I'm allowed.”

“If I order you to ride me to the palace then you're allowed.”

He couldn't argue with that. With an encouraging nudge of his heels the horse trotted through the gates along a long cobbled path to the great doors. Around them beautiful fountains tinkled in the morning quiet, and flowers began to open in the sun. A few bushes hummed with bees beginning their gathering as he breathed in he was met with the aroma of exotic plants. The palace really was a magical place.

“We're here.”

The prince straightened up and stretched, before pulling the blanket off himself and draping it around Minwoo's shoulders, then dismounted.

“Prince..?” Minwoo touched the blanket, surprised.

“Keep it, I have loads.” Prince Donghyun beamed at him. “Besides,” he added, “it's going to be a cold morning.” With that he headed inside.

Minwoo sat outside for a moment, baffled, before he spotted some staff and quickly turned the horse about, leaving the grounds as fast as he could until he was back among familiar fields. Despite having the rest of the day ahead of him, he retired the horse to the stables and dragged himself, blanket around his shoulders like a cloak, back to his house and huddled into bed.

Unfortunately, that was the first of many times the prince had him make the long journey.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Minwoo's sleep pattern became far more uneven and his waking hours more unpredictable. He was starting to feel a little run down, and he could see it affecting Hyunseong and the twins too, though the latter at least seemed to have been spared waking up before sunrise. Jeongmin as well had started to fall under pressure as the prince began to demand he write song after song about the brave knight rescuing him. The bard was having trouble taking it seriously, but also swamped with a new song being requested nearly every other day – much faster than he was used to writing them.

Prince Donghyun was being exceedingly dramatic. By the time Minwoo arrived at the castle he was half falling off the chaise lounge and complaining about some imaginary injury that required Minwoo to carry him. He did so with as little fuss as he could manage. By the time they were on the horse the prince was clinging to him, head on his shoulder.

“Take me to my bed chambers,” Prince Donghyun whined.

“Yes, Prince Donghyn,” he replied, trying to keep his weariness from his voice.

They rode the distance to the palace, the prince clinging to him the whole ride.

“Where would I be without my brave knight?” The prince sighed.

“Still stuck in that tower until someone else came along. It's good I came when I did, who knows how long you would have been there,” he replied easily. It wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation.

“You saved me and carried me to your steed. How gracious of you to be so kind!”

“I would do anything for you, you are the prince of the realm.”

The prince fell unusually quiet for a moment. “Even if something unexpected happened?”

Minwoo nodded. “Of course!”

“Like when you saved me from a falling book?”

he glanced back at the prince, surprised. “Yes. Of course. I'm supposed to keep you safe, and you're important.”

“Am I important? I'll never inherit the throne and there's no one to marry me off to for political reasons. I'm just an extraneous child.”

“That's not true!” Minwoo looked back at him and frowned, before quickly apologising. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude, Prince Donghyun, but you're still important”

“How?”

“All people are important. Everyone has value. You don't have to have some set purpose or destiny to be important. Especially if you're royal.”

The prince fell into a thoughtful silence and remained that way until they reached the palace.

“We're here, your highness,” Minwoo announced.

“I asked you to bring me to my bed chambers.”

“Um, this is as far as I'm allowed to go...”

“You are allowed to go wherever I say you are, so you're allowed to carry me to my bed chambers.”

“But I don't know where to take you...”

“So I'll guide you.” The prince gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder.

He sighed and got down off his horse. Once the prince was down as well he lifted him in his arms, not even shocked that he'd developed the arm and core strength to carry him so easily. The prince guided him through long lavish corridors with gigantic paintings and tapestries hanging from the walls, across rooms with soft carpets and ornate furniture, up stairs with golden banisters until they reached a large wooden door.

He reached out and nervously pushed it open.

Beyond was a huge room with a giant bed in the middle, decorated with hanging fabrics and paintings. A number of statues sat around the room and books were stuffed into shelves up to the ceiling. A large piano sat in the corner.

“Welcome to my room!” Prince Donghyun said excitedly “Take me to my bed.”

Minwoo sighed and carried him across the room and lay him down on the bed awkwardly, his armour making it hard to bend. The prince rolled out of his arms and onto the bedding and grinned at him.

“Come lie with me.”

Minwoo blinked. “I don't think I can.”

“Sure you can.” The prince grinned at him.

“Your Highness, I really should be going...”

The prince frowned. “Why?”

“I have to go and tidy my home, and make sure the others are okay?”

“The others?”

He nodded. “One of the knights I fight sometimes, the twins, the bard..”

“Oh...” The prince seemed surprised.

“I shouldn't be here anyway. I'll get in trouble, even if you let me stay.”

The prince frowned. “Don't go yet.”

“Your highness-”

“Not without taking a few things.” The prince got up and dug out a travel bag and began to fill it with cushions and blankets, then grabbed a bowl of fruit from one of the tables and added it on top. “Here!” He held it out.

“Prince Donghyun, what is this?”

“If you need to make sure they're okay, you should at least make sure you're okay too.”

He slowly took the bag. “Thank you.”

“Now... Go. Go back to the others. I'm tired and need to sleep.”

Minwoo nodded, still surprised. “Sleep well, your highness.”

The prince nodded and flopped down on the bed again, waving Minwoo away.

He departed quickly.

 

**Author's Note:**

> world building is hell


End file.
